Primp & Pop Event Co.

“I had a clouded opinion of what motherhood looked like prior to kids.  Motherhood is the hardest thing, hands down.  A beautiful slap in the face.”

Bryn is an entrepreneur and owner of “Primp & Pop Event Co.” A business she birthed just before having her first daughter Henley who is now 2 years old. Previously she owned another event company, “An Artistic Affair”, planning and executing many large and elaborate weddings. She graduated from University of Guelph’s Hospitality Business program and began her career at Graydon Hall Manor; realizing quickly she wanted to go out on her own.

It was intimidating at first; working part time jobs to support herself as she ventured into the world of entrepreneurship. Luckily, she didn’t need a store front or capital to launch her business; working in cafes on her computer was how it all started. An Artistic Affair grew into Bryn working seven days a week, from April to November, with her winters being slower. Although she saw success, there was a nagging feeling that the work she was doing wasn’t truly speaking to her.

Once she and her (now) husband Noah started to family plan and think about their own wedding, it became evident that running her company in its current format, wasn’t conducive to family life or where she was wanting to take her career. Although starting a new business with a very young child in tow was very difficult, she knew she needed to make a major modification to how she was running her business. The first summer with her daughter Henley (6 months old at the time) she was still committed to six weddings through An Artistic Affair and was starting to operate Primp & Pop. This was very stressful, but all went well, and it was also a good reminder that she had made the right decision to shift the focus of her work.  Working when her family was playing was not something she wanted to accept.

Her own wedding, with her husband Noah encapsulated the feeling and experience that Primp & Pop offers. Bryn and Noah were married on a trail near their home; it was a very intimate, casual, and focused around all their favourite things. Great food and drink, outdoors, adventure, simplicity, and family.

Primp & Pop Event Co. offers three options for those looking for an intimate, styled, unique wedding. The elopement, micro and pop up style weddings are focused in the Muskoka area. Each all- inclusive, turnkey package allows her clients to experience a beautiful personalized wedding ceremony without the typical stress that ‘traditional’ weddings sometimes see. She works with the venue, florists and other vendors, who together create an unparalleled experience with many distinct touches. Visit her website http://www.primpandpop.com or her blog https://www.primpandpop.com/wedding-blog for more information on these fun, effortless, intimate wedding options.

With her new business model, Bryn can exercise her creative bone, while using her strong organizational skills to plan these beautiful small events; permitting couples to focus on each other. Planning weddings can be extremely stressful. Bryn removes that from the experience of a wedding day, by handling everything in a thoughtful yet systematic way.

Bryn and Noah made the move from Toronto to Muskoka when they were ready to purchase a home and move away from renting. Muskoka is where both she and Noah grew up (and met), so it’s pretty special that they now get to raise their family there. They love living in the tight knit community, and it also provides the perfect backdrop for Primp & Pop events. It’s a win-win for personal and work.

They chose to have their children close together. Henley and her son Mackinnon, who is about to turn 10 months old, are 18 months apart. Bryn is in the thick of young motherhood. When Henley came everything was new and felt a little overwhelming but now with her son, she has the clarity that everything is just a phase. More awareness helps her appreciate each moment and embrace the stages knowing they won’t last. “It feels like every day brings struggle and triumph. You can be at your wits end and they can do one thing and your heart melts.”

I completely relate to this second time mom realization. The comfort and calm that comes with feeling like you have hit your stride with this baby thing can be a great place to be. You are also hyper aware that time is fleeting and can feel anxious knowing your baby won’t be little for very long. I know I’m currently struggling with this awareness. Wanting to freeze time and speed it up all in the same minute. But, the second time mom confidence is a great experience to have.

One of the biggest adjustments for Bryn was going from “doing whatever, whenever” to scheduling life (personal and work) around her tiny humans. Being type A, this didn’t come easy, but is definitely a work in progress. Sometimes her business and independent playtime must go on the back burner, it’s just reality. She has learned to appreciate her adult time that much more when she has it. When it comes to balancing everything, Bryn reminded me “none of us are experts, we have to take it day by day”. I even find sometimes minute by minute.

When it comes to the journey with young children each day it can be difficult to manage all the emotions everyone goes though. “I am a constant negotiator, with 8 different scenarios mapped out at all times, just in case a bomb goes off and a new plan needs to be exercised!”

For support Bryn has a great group of women that she is a part of. Her “Mom Chatter” group offers constant comedic relief and a good outlet for these women to help each other navigate motherhood. They also live close to family, which is another reason the move back to Muskoka and the insane idea to have babies so close together seemed manageable. It takes a village after all. Bryn doesn’t consider herself a resolution person but does believe we can reshape the way we look at things. She is making it her intention to be more present. Taking time to play with her kids and reminding herself “you are always doing what you need to be doing”, is helping her to live in the present moment and calm some of the mind chatter and to-do lists.

An interesting topic that came up when I was interviewing Bryn was what we do when we are breastfeeding. You can only stare at your beautiful child for so long. (I can do this for quite awhile, but it is also nice to use this time to fill yourself up in some small way). It is easy to slip into the hole of social media, but Bryn is now making the choice to read a book, catch up on local & global news, or make her to do lists instead. She’s a big list person!

Bryn is building a beautiful, chaotic life as she paves her unique path in life. Her bravery to start her own business and then relaunch as something new when it no longer worked for her is very admirable. As her kids grow up and family life ebbs and flows it will be interesting to see how her business changes along the way.

Story Written by Jenn DiRaddo Jefferson of Career Pump

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